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Found 72 matching records for “Samson Dempsey the "Midtown Playa" is Now an Author”.

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Haint Blue

by Katherine Dempsey

Haint Blue Katherine Dempsey Excerpt Go On Girl! Book Club’s 2021 Unpublished Writers Award Winner Haint BlueChapter One March 2021 “My brain reeled as I saw the mighty walls rus...

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Foreword Justice for Marcus Garvey

by Julius Garvey

Foreword Justice for Marcus Garvey Julius Garvey Excerpt Foreword Excerpt by Ta-Nehisi Coates “I grew up in a household where Malcolm X was Jesus, and I guess that would make Garvey God. Gar...

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The Water Dancer Ta-Nehisi Coates Excerpt And I could only have seen her there on the stone bridge, a dancer wreathed in ghostly blue, because that was the way they would have taken her back when I w...

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A Thug’s Redemption

by Yani

A Thug’s Redemption Yani Excerpt Shawn, Jamal and Maurice headed over to Erie Avenue to check out a basketball game in a nearby playground. Shawn was scoping out the competition to see who he would ...

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To Find You

by Cerece Rennie Murphy

To Find You Cerece Rennie Murphy Excerpt Part I: In The Beginning I wait for him here, at the place where the night sky and the earth become lovers. In the tall grass of our homeland, between two k...

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My Soul to Keep

by Tananarive Due

My Soul to Keep Tananarive Due Excerpt Even now, alone, Dawit knew he was being watched. One of the Searchers had found him, perhaps months before. He’d noticed a cigarette butt half bur...

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Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle

by Chris Hedges

Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle Chris Hedges Excerpt Now the death of God combined with the perfection of the image has brought us to a whole new state of expe...

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Peace From Broken Pieces: How To Get Through What You’re Going Through

by Iyanla Vanzant

Peace From Broken Pieces: How To Get Through What You’re Going Through Iyanla Vanzant Excerpt It is often difficult to identify the exact moment that your life falls apart. In most cases, it is not a...

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On My Journey Now: Looking At African-American History Through The Spirituals

by Nikki Giovanni

On My Journey Now: Looking At African-American History Through The Spirituals Nikki Giovanni Excerpt America was looking for very, very, very cheap labor, because they wanted workers who were e...

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Cayenne

by Janice Pernell

Cayenne Janice Pernell Excerpt Nia eyed Michael with a mixture of defiance and loathing. The man who’d captured her heart in the past three months was now her captor, in a very literal but surr...

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Greed: A Seven Deadly Sins Novel

by Victoria Christopher Murray

Greed: A Seven Deadly Sins Novel Victoria Christopher Murray Excerpt Chapter 1 “Just got paid…it’s Friday night.” I tapped the button on my steering wheel, silencing the bo...

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Polo Cowboy Chapter 1

by G. Neri

Polo Cowboy Chapter 1 G. Neri Excerpt Preface: Mama is fuming. “Say that again.” I swallow and take a deep breath. “I ain’t goin’ back to Detroit.” Five m...

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The Quest of the Silver Fleece

by W.E.B. Du Bois

The Quest of the Silver Fleece W.E.B. Du Bois Excerpt The entire novel is available at Project Gutenberg OneDREAMS Night fell. The red waters of the swamp grew sinister and sullen. The tall pines...

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Done in the Dark

by Tamara Morgan

Done in the Dark Tamara Morgan Excerpt Though she knew she should take comfort that Mama Ella was going to ‘a better place,’ despite her grandmother’s efforts Karina’s faith i...

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Done in the Dark

by Tamara Morgan

Done in the Dark Tamara Morgan Excerpt Chapter 1 Though she knew she should take comfort that Mama Ella was going to ‘a better place,’ despite her grandmother’s efforts Karina&rsqu...

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Chapter 1: The Throne of Thought OPENING PRAYER

by Iyanla Vanzant

Chapter 1: The Throne of Thought OPENING PRAYER Iyanla Vanzant Excerpt Beloved Presence of All That Is, Anchor me now in Your peace and perfect wisdom. Today, I call forth the s...

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Notes of Artistic Freedom Fighter

by Marvin X

Notes of Artistic Freedom Fighter Marvin X Excerpt INTRODUCTION By Dr. Nathan Hare With the return of “white nationalism” to the international stage and the White House and new th...

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Author: The Portraits of Beowulf Sheehan

by Beowulf Sheehan

Author: The Portraits of Beowulf Sheehan Beowulf Sheehan Excerpt Photographing Gregory Pardlo, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, at his home was an exercise in seeing love in the tactile. ...

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Food and the City

by Ina Yalof

Food and the City Ina Yalof Excerpt Alexander SmallsThe Cecil Daylight floods his Harlem apartment, an eclectic space crammed with old and new mementos from a well-traveled, well-lived life. The...

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A Thug’s Redemption 2: Jamal’s Return

by Yani

A Thug’s Redemption 2: Jamal’s Return Yani Excerpt They jumped on the elevator and rode down to the garage. Neither Maurice nor Angela knew what to say to Keisha so they followed in silence. They ma...

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The Colored Garden

by O.H. Bennett

The Colored Garden O.H. Bennett Excerpt From Chapter One: Meeting the Gardener In the middle of Kentucky farmland where a cornfield of withered brown stalks meets the grass of a cow pasture there ...

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Wake Up Happy: The Dream Big, Win Big Guide to Transforming Your Life

by Michael Strahan and Veronica Chambers

Wake Up Happy: The Dream Big, Win Big Guide to Transforming Your Life Michael Strahan and Veronica Chambers Excerpt WHAT I LEARNED FROM HERSCHEL WALKER Rule #1 Help can—and will—c...

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Juneteenth

by Ralph Ellison

Juneteenth Ralph Ellison Excerpt After Ellison’s death on April 16, 1994, speculation about the existence of the second novel reignited. In an article in the New York Times, William Grimes asse...

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You Only Get Better: Celebrating Life Every Step of the Way

by Connie Briscoe, Lolita Files, and Anita Bunkley

You Only Get Better: Celebrating Life Every Step of the Way Connie Briscoe, Lolita Files, and Anita Bunkley Excerpt The brass headboard thumped against the wall as he rolled off of her and onto his b...

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Sometimes I Cry

by Linda Dominique Grosvenor

Sometimes I Cry Linda Dominique Grosvenor Excerpt I have never been more anxious in my entire life than I am right now. I’m sitting at my desk with an hour or more to kill and a list of things...

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You Only Get Better: Celebrating Life Every Step of the Way

by Connie Briscoe, Lolita Files, and Anita Bunkley

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Shedding Light From My Journeys

by DuEwa M. Frazier

Shedding Light From My Journeys DuEwa M. Frazier Excerpt R Ju Iz Spanish Mami, mami, ju look so good, are ju married ? I think in a past life I was Spanish cause the pa...

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A Letter for My Mother

by Nina Foxx

A Letter for My Mother Nina Foxx Excerpt Nina Foxx’s Letter: A Letter to My Once Mother-in-Law Charlenne, The doctors say that it won’t be long now. Your son just called and told m...

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Cowards and Angels

by Aileen Muhammad

Cowards and Angels Aileen Muhammad Excerpt Mia (From Cowards and Angels) Death before dishonor. An embrace like no other. A fair exchange. An honored declaration that life’s sagging hypocr...

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A Long Way from Home

by Connie Briscoe

A Long Way from Home Connie Briscoe Excerpt     Chapter One Clara sat up on the edge of her pallet and rubbed her eyes with her fists. She could tell it was awfully late by the wa...

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Life Upon These Shores: Looking at African American History, 1513-2008

by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Life Upon These Shores: Looking at African American History, 1513-2008 Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Excerpt Introduction Before the pen of Jefferson etched the majestic words of the Declaration of Ind...

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Bone to Pick: Of Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Reparation, and Revenge

by Ellis Cose

Bone to Pick: Of Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Reparation, and Revenge Ellis Cose Excerpt To forgive the truly horrible is to kiss the robe of God, to emulate no less a figure than the dying Jesus Chr...

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The Messenger Reader

by Sondra Kathryn Wilson

The Messenger Reader Sondra Kathryn Wilson Excerpt In this short story, Fenton Johnson introduces the reader to Elizabeth (Eliza) Jan, an African-American servant. Liza, a Southerner, finds herself w...

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A Life of Turmoil: The short stories of Ana Franken 08150017

by Johanna Sparrow

A Life of Turmoil: The short stories of Ana Franken 08150017 Johanna Sparrow Excerpt Yes, Mother The turmoiled relationship of Ana Franken a Short Story “Sometimes I wish that I had all boys...

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The Devil’s Shadow

by Ian K. Smith

The Devil’s Shadow Ian K. Smith Excerpt Prologue Chicago, Illinois December 3, 2004 3:00 A.M. The Metropolitan Bank of Chicago was located on Michigan Avenue between Washington and Madison stre...

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The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother

by James McBride

The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother James McBride Excerpt CHAPTER ONE Dead I’m dead. You want to talk about my family and here I been dead to them for fifty y...

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Black Wings & Blind Angels: Poems

by Professor Griff

Black Wings & Blind Angels: Poems Professor Griff Excerpt Breaking Karma #5 i It is like a scene in a play. His bald spot shines upward between dark tufts of hair. We are sitting in a pool of...

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She

by Saul Williams

She Saul Williams Excerpt From She i presented my feminine side with flowers she cut the stems and placed them gently down my throat and these tu lips might soon eclips...

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Mama Rocks the Empty Cradle

by Nora Deloach

Mama Rocks the Empty Cradle Nora Deloach Excerpt Carrie Smalls shrugged. "I reckon you think ’cause your job throw you to be with her that you know her better than anybody else. My questi...

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The Secret Lives of the Four Wives

by Lola Shoneyin

The Secret Lives of the Four Wives Lola Shoneyin Excerpt Chapter One – Polygamist I didn’t just happen upon this room; I dreamed of the pale green walls before I arrived. Now the built...

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Forbidden Fruit

by Stanley Gazemba

Forbidden Fruit Stanley Gazemba Excerpt The air over the village that evening was pregnant with tension. A thick dark cloud loomed heavy above the grey colored thatch huts that dotted the steep green...

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The Husband We Share

by London St. Charles

The Husband We Share London St. Charles Excerpt Chapter One Lauren Carter screamed and bolted upright in her bed, snatched from the reoccurring nightmare that had plagued her for years. She touched ...

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Show Me No Mercy

by Anita L. Roseboro

Show Me No Mercy Anita L. Roseboro Excerpt Casey ran from the bedroom and rushed out the door without anything more than a comforter wrapped around her body to ward off the freezing temperatures. She...

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The Root of All Evil

by Gibran Tariq and Gregory S. Jones

The Root of All Evil Gibran Tariq and Gregory S. Jones Excerpt Chapter One November 1942 It was one thing to be cold, but quite another to be freezing. Not long ago, Paul Madsen, had been warm ...

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Two “Til Midnight

by Bernard L. Dillard

Two “Til Midnight Bernard L. Dillard Excerpt Lead-In: Faculty members and staff at a university are having a diversity meeting and are discussing issues that concern becoming a more diverse camp...

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Of One Blood

by Pauline Hopkins

Of One Blood Pauline Hopkins Excerpt Chapter One The recitations were over for the day. It was the first week in November and it had rained about every day the entire week; now freezing temperatur...

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God in the Ghetto: A Prophetic Word Revisited

by William Augustus Jones Jr.

God in the Ghetto: A Prophetic Word Revisited William Augustus Jones Jr. Excerpt Chapter 1: The System “The System” refers implicitly to the American trinity of capitalism, racism,...

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Let the Oppressed Go Free: Exploring Theologies of Liberation

by Marvin Andrew McMickle

Let the Oppressed Go Free: Exploring Theologies of Liberation Marvin Andrew McMickle Excerpt The Invisible Black Woman It seems that African American men who worked tirelessly to reverse the st...

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CHAPTER 1: Stunt Work

by Pam Grier

CHAPTER 1: Stunt Work Pam Grier Excerpt CHAPTER 1: Stunt Work I was snuggled in my mother’s arms in the backseat of the old Buick. My dad’s Air Force buddy was at the wheel, driving us...

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A Promised Land (Deluxe Signed Edition)

by Barack Obama

A Promised Land (Deluxe Signed Edition) Barack Obama Excerpt Preface I began writing this book shortly after the end of my presidency—after Michelle and I had boarded Air Force One for the l...

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A Promised Land

by Barack Obama

A Promised Land Barack Obama Excerpt Preface I began writing this book shortly after the end of my presidency—after Michelle and I had boarded Air Force One for the last time and traveled we...

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The Davenports (Chapter One)

by Krystal Marquis

The Davenports (Chapter One) Krystal Marquis Excerpt Chapter 1 Olivia Olivia Elise Davenport pulled a bolt of vibrant yellow silk from the display and held it to her dark complexion. She was dr...

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One Blood

by Denene Millner

One Blood Denene Millner Excerpt 1 The blood never much bothered Grace. Maw Maw Rubelle got her used to it early on, when she was little ol’, way before she let her only granddaughter, her a...

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Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America

by Ibram X. Kendi

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America Ibram X. Kendi Excerpt PART I Cotton Mather CHAPTER 1 Human Hierarchy THEY WEATHERED BRUTAL WINTERS, suffered...

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Black Girl You Are Atlas

by Renée Watson

Black Girl You Are Atlas Renée Watson Excerpt at•las | \ ’at-les \ from Merriam-Webster Dictionary 1 capitalized: a Titan who for his part in the Titans’ revolt against the gods ...

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Introduction: The Isley Brothers’ 3+3

by Darrell M. McNeill

Introduction: The Isley Brothers’ 3+3 Darrell M. McNeill Excerpt Introduction The Isley Brothers Are America’s Most Tenured Rock and Roll Group: Deal with it. All you are ever told in this ...

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A leap of Faith

by Anita L. Helm

A leap of Faith Anita L. Helm Excerpt PREFACE For some time now, I have wanted to write a story about my life—I’m still living, so this is my capture of my first half. I hope the stories...

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Woleté The Story of an Enslaved Ethiopian Girl

by Aklilu Kidanu Woldegiorgis

Woleté The Story of an Enslaved Ethiopian Girl Aklilu Kidanu Woldegiorgis Excerpt Part 5 The Catastrophe In one unsuspecting bright morning, the lives of a happy girl and her childhood friends ch...

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Tuff: A Novel

by Paul Beatty

Tuff: A Novel Paul Beatty Excerpt Now on this, the last cool night of summer, Brooklyn was short three more niggers for Winston to hate. Although he addressed all black men as “God,” Ch...

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Almost by Design: A Novel

by Jenny Erlingsson

Almost by Design: A Novel Jenny Erlingsson Excerpt Chapter 1 These shoes would be the death of her. Or at least cause the demise of a few toes. Kenya Stewart sighed, admiring the way the heels refle...

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The Future Has a Past

by J. California Cooper

The Future Has a Past J. California Cooper Excerpt A Shooting Star Now, you don’t know me. And, I know that you know that nobody knows everything. But a person does have to go by whatever ...

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A Day Late and a Dollar Short

by Terry McMillan

A Day Late and a Dollar Short Terry McMillan Excerpt Way I see it can’t nobody tell me nothing I don’t already know. At least not when it comes to my kids. They all grown, but in a whol...

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The Man Who Cried I Am

by John A. Williams

The Man Who Cried I Am John A. Williams Excerpt FOREWORD by Graham Hodges   The publication of John A. Williams’ fourth novel, The Man Who Cried I Am, in October, 1967, caused cr...

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Cane

by Jean Toomer

Cane Jean Toomer Excerpt Introduction to Cane As it appeared in the Perennial Classic edition copyright  1969 by Arna Bontemps LOOKING back on the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s,...

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Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora

by Sheree Renée Thomas

Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora Sheree Renée Thomas Excerpt The Comet by W. E. B. Du Bois (1920) He stood a moment on the steps of the bank, watching th...

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The Immortality Of Influence

by Salome Thomas-El

The Immortality Of Influence Salome Thomas-El Excerpt Foreword by Will Smith If you finish this book and are not inspired to immediately go out and effect change in your community, then you w...

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On The Shoulders Of Giants: My Journey Through The Harlem Renaissance

by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

On The Shoulders Of Giants: My Journey Through The Harlem Renaissance Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Excerpt "Some Technicolor Bazaar" How Harlem Became the Center of the Universe Harlem!&helli...

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Wonderful Ethiopians Of The Ancient Cushite Empire, Book 1

by Drusilla Dunjee Houston

Wonderful Ethiopians Of The Ancient Cushite Empire, Book 1 Drusilla Dunjee Houston Excerpt The minds of men today are stirred with eager questionings about the origin of civilization and about ...

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Alain Locke: An Introduction

by Charles Molesworth

Alain Locke: An Introduction Charles Molesworth Excerpt ALAIN LOCKE: AN INTRODUCTION(Part 1)      Alain Locke established his intellectual brilliance by a lifetime of study ...

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All I Want For Christmas

by Joyce A. Brown, Princess F.L. Gooden, Terri Ann Johnson, Sonia Johnston, Patricia Woodside, Cryssy Dee, Candy Jackson, and others

All I Want For Christmas Joyce A. Brown, Princess F.L. Gooden, Terri Ann Johnson, Sonia Johnston, Patricia Woodside, Cryssy Dee, Candy Jackson, and others Excerpt An excerpt from Terri Ann Johnson&rs...

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Dick Gregory’s Natural Diet for Folks Who Eat: Cookin’ with Mother Nature

by Dick Gregory

Dick Gregory’s Natural Diet for Folks Who Eat: Cookin’ with Mother Nature Dick Gregory Excerpt 1Warning: The Author Has Determined That Not Reading the Following Pages Is Dangerous to Your Health ...

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My Brown Baby

by Denene Millner

My Brown Baby Denene Millner Excerpt Chapter 1 My Escort into Motherhood I WAS A YOUNG REPORTER WHEN I MET HER—full of energy, I had a flat stomach, still 120 pounds soaking wet, still ea...

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